Category: cooking

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it’s bread pudding time!

it's bread pudding time
white raisins (saltanas) in armagnac, dried blueberries in rye whiskey and vanilla effusing Puerto Rican Rum! CLICK on the picture for the recipe and step-by-step directions.

I call this my ‘starter kit’ for my bread pudding. I’ll let this sit around in the refrigerator before I go to the day old bakery to find the perfect ‘stale’ bread, cake, and croissants for my bread pudding. The ‘sauce’ I’ll make at the last minute….

Although this dessert descends from humble beginnings, there is nothing humble about this wonderful dish by itself, a la mode or at the conclusion of your dinner.

Can’t wait!

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nothing says ‘love’ like a quiche!

Nothing brings a smile at brunch like a quiche... and for those fun times a little champagne!

If I have any culinary weakness , it is for that wonderful invention of that great German dish…. ‘quiche!’ Okay, you think it is so French, but it is not. Read the first link below for it’s great story:

Quiche Karla Loraine and recipe

Yar, the world is full of quiches and various sea creatures, but if it be some strong drink to settle your innards, Capt’n Rog Crab Quiche be what yar lookin for.

that be Crab Quiche ahead, maties!

Now, I must be about my business of fixing the quiche!

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Pork and Butter is the secret of life


Back in the days when I had one wooden spoon and one knife, my grandmother pulled me aside to show me some of her secrets. Probably one of the most fun was leaning some of the tricks of the trade that folks got away with in the days gone by: chicken stock as a base for virtually all soups and the golden goodness of butter and pork. She would use a small amount of pork fat into almost everything she did… and I will confess to always having some around and using it frequently… sometimes in combination with butter.

To be frank, I don’t eat out that often, but when I do, I like to see what the chef recommends… that is to say… what the chef does best. Pork consumption is an increasing trend, first of all because it is delicious. One article made the following statement:

“Pig will be big in 2010, 2011, 2012,” said Carter, who plans to open two more ventures in downtown Phoenix this year, including El Rey Taqueria with a whole-pig roaster built in behind the bar.

As for me, I cannot think of anything more enjoyable than including lamb with pig as in tat great South African dish called   Bobotie!

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lemon squares for someone who really loves them

such a simple thing... but 'no substitutions!' 😉

My wife and my mother both love lemon squares and until recently, I really didn’t see the appeal. I found that folks didn’t use real lemons and the ‘crust’ wasn’t very tasty. So, with a little trial and error I found something that I could even enjoy, something with a Real shortbread crust. Here’s how I made this very simple yet elegant treat:

There are two parts: 1) preparing and baking the crust the crust and 2) preparing and baking the filling.

 

91/2 by 13 1/2″ pan


the crust

1 1/3 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups flour

2 1/4 cubes of butter (.6 lbs)

3/4 tsp salt

combine and cook at 350 degrees F. for around 20 minutes

the filling

2/3 cup lemon juice

2 cups confectioner’s sugar

4 eggs

3/4 tablespoons

3 tablespoons

1 teaspoon baking flour

350 degrees F. for 30 minutes

 

Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar

 

enjoy!

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a time to pause and reflect at graduation(s)

after two weeks of witnessing graduations planning a couple of celebratory parties ... it's time to come home and recharge the batteries!

My daughter Kristin earned a masters degree in engineering at the University of Virginia and will be teaching at West Point in the fall … and our daughter Karen earned her Ph.D. at the University of Tennessee Knoxville … and will be teaching at the University of Louisville also in the fall. Congratulations, Ladies!

All this hard work makes me tired.

Dad